Total Trainer Blood Stabilizer Foods
The habits we form while utilizing our Total Trainer home gym are just as important as the ones we practice after dismounting it. As is so commonly the case in the fitness world, we can use the Total Trainer to our heart’s content and still miss out on the full array of physical improvements it provides. While it allows for exceptional gravity resistance work to tone and strengthen the body, getting careless about dietary intake will render unproductive the other 23 plus hours we are not putting this home gym to use. Inattentiveness to nutrition, if carried out long enough, can even cause the quality of our workouts to decline.
Energy levels in constant flux hold the potential to disrupt our Total Trainer workout sessions, resulting in inconsistent, roller coaster routines. Some days we feel up to the task of hammering out squats and pull-ups, while during others we feel lifeless, entirely drained of energy. Most of us simply think we do not hold the power to change this dilemma, assuming these are simply impossible circumstances to control. But such a scenario is not the case, as a little tweaking of our diet can turn this situation around. Seeking out low sugar “blood stabilizer” foods can reduce the ups and downs that produce less than spectacular workouts.
Keeping our sugar levels in check
Ensuring blood glucose levels in our bodies remain balanced will keep an unwavering supply of energy on tap. Hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) is as undesirable a state as hyperglycemia (too much blood sugar); better regulating these will create a “sweet spot” that lets us navigate the extremes. Avoiding these extremes is crucial to putting in consistently productive performances while on our Total Trainer home gym.
The first step we must take it cutting back on the amount of sugar consumed. Excessive sugars cause our bodies to secrete insulin for purposes of homeostasis, meaning our system needs to repeatedly normalize the sugar in our bloodstream. Our energy level is then thrown off, leading to performances that are inconsistent and vary from week to week as well as day to day. Incorporating more fibers, healthy oils, and protein into our meals will help us divorce ourselves from the quick rush of energy brought on by sugars. This allows for a more sustaining and healthy energy to be imparted. Some protein-rich salmon or pumpkin seed butter will cause slower insulin release, meaning our stomachs and blood sugar level feels satisfied longer.
In fact, we will achieve more motivation to wean ourselves off excessive sugar and cheap carbohydrate intake when we realize that these two things (sugars and carbs) were precisely the motivating factor behind mid-afternoon crashes in the first place.
It is easy to underestimate how much sugar we are taking into our bloodstream on a daily basis; glancing at the nutritional information on the products we consume very well could lead to “sugar sticker shock”. Odds are the number of grams being taken in is higher than initially thought.
Three effective ways to maintain high energy and a healthy body weight
1. Eat whole food carbs that contains phytonutrients such as vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and whole grains.
2. Include healthy fats in your diet to increase your metabolism such as omega 3, monounsaturated fats: extra virgin oil, almonds and pumpkin seeds.
3. Avoid processed (packaged) food of any kind. Keep your metabolism engine running smoothly with pure foods.
Overcoming the Highs and Lows
Getting our body unaccustomed to the rush it provides takes mental discipline, but focusing our thoughts and turning toward a whole food diet will eventually pull us through the sugar withdrawal stage. Restoring balance allows us to string together consistent workouts on the Total Trainer, making each session one of higher quality. Eliminating peaks and valleys allows a constant plane of high level workouts to be maintained.
Diets with protein as well as raw or fresh vegetables are good for keeping blood sugar levels stable; chicken, fish, lean cuts of red meat, and unprocessed foods are ideal. Foods that are processed come filled with empty calories and drastically alter a once healthy metabolism. Keeping the engine of metabolism running smoothly will combine with your low impact Total Trainer workouts to give you the appealing and fit body you are after.
Peaks and valleys in energy will become incidences of the past, allowing us to check off the nutrition box thanks to these dietary changes as well as the fitness box thanks to the workouts provided by the Total Trainer home gym.
Three healthy meals and a few high-protein snacks during the course of the day should suffice to keeping blood sugar and energy levels exactly where they need to be. Pull-ups, push-ups, decline sit-ups; all of these activities on the Total Trainer can be completed with vigor that is consistently present day in and day out. Your body will thank you for this adjustment.
Colette Barry is CEO of Healthy Fit Studio and Founder of The Barry Method™ training system. She’s author of the book, “Wall Yoga – The Art of Centering,” and the DVD, “The Barry Method Workout For The Total Trainer.” Colette Barry has over 30 years experience as a Massage Therapist, Certified Yoga Instructor, Certified Thai Yoga Therapist, and Certified Pilates Instructor. She’s also a public speaker and offers certification to instructors of The Barry Method. Colette Barry is married and lives in Ohio with her husband and three children.